Conventional bipolar integrated circuits operate at low voltage logic levels. Typically, a low or logical "0" for TTL logic circuits ranges from 0.0 to 0.8 volts and a high or logical "1" ranges from 2.0 to 5.0 volts. Thus in order to distinguish between a logical 0 and a logical 1 a CMOS inverter must be capable of switching somewhere between 0.8 and 2.0 volts and preferably at approximately 1.4 volts in order to provide the widest possible noise margins.
On the other hand, a CMOS inverter generally operates at voltages of 4.5 to 15 volts with 5 volts being typical. If the source of the P-channel transistor in the CMOS inverter is connected to a voltage of 5 volts, the P-channel transistor will draw a steady state current when a TTL logical "1" as low as 2.0 volts is applied to its gate. Hence it is desirable to establish the switching or trigger point of the CMOS input inverter in a TTL to CMOS buffer at approximately 1.4 volts to maximize noise margins, and to provide a voltage of less than 5 volts on the sources of P-channel transistor in the input buffer in order to reduce steady state power consumption.
Several issued patents have addressed this latter concern. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,471,242 issued Sept. 11, 1984 to Noufer, et al. which is incorporated herein by reference, describes a TTL to CMOS input buffer which accomplishes buffering a TTL signal to a CMOS signal with low current flow through a CMOS input inverter in a static (non-switching) condition. This is achieved by providing a selected reference voltage to the source of the P-channel transistor in the CMOS input inverter. The reference voltage is selected to be less than the lower voltage level of the TTL logical "1" (2.0 volts) minus the threshold voltage of the P-channel transistor.
Similarly, U.S. Pat. No. 4,475,050 issued to Noufer on Oct. 2, 1984 which is incorporated herein by reference, prevents current flow through the CMOS inverter of the TTL to CMOS input buffer by providing a reference voltage to the source of the P-channel transistor in the input inverter which is responsive to the voltage level of the TTL input signal.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,469,959, issued to Luke et al. on Sept. 4, 1984, which is incorporated herein by reference, describes a bypass means which compensates for the body effect of the load transistor to maintain the switch point of the input inverter stage at a "relatively" constant value, which is subject to process variations.
The prior art does not however solve the problem of establishing a trigger point of the input inverter in a CMOS buffer at a selected voltage level. As long as the supply voltage of the CMOS inverter does not vary significantly from a fixed level, one can attempt to approximately establish the desired trigger point by selecting the ratios of channel width to channel length in the N-channel and P-channel transistor of the input inverter in the CMOS buffer. However, this solution is inadequate because the trigger point is then sensitive to variations in process parameters as well as to variations in power supply.